Orange Cassidy's Unique AEW Gimmick, Explained
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One of wrestling's most polarizing gimmicks belongs to AEW wrestler Orange Cassidy. Drawing out some of the strongest opinions from non-AEW wrestling fans due to his "lazy" presentation, Orange Cassidy has garnered a lot of hate from wrestling fans that tend to not actually watch him wrestle. At the same time, Cassidy has skyrocketed himself from a comedic indie wrestler to one of the top stars in Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling in just a few years time. Currently reigning as the AEW All-Atlantic Champion, Orange Cassidy has already made history as he has the most title defenses of any men's champion within the company. While many fans know his name, it's time to look at the gimmick of Orange Cassidy and how he became one of the top stars of AEW in recent years.
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Orange Cassidy Brings A Laid Back, Lackadaisical Style To AEW
Making his debut in AEW in 2019 at the company's first-ever PPV, Double or Nothing, Orange Cassidy appeared during the Casino Battle Royal where he would be quickly eliminated by Impact Wrestling's Tommy Dreamer. In the following months, Cassidy was announced as a full-time signing for AEW, though he would not wrestle until the following year at AEW Revolution 2020. In the months leading up to his first match, many fans speculated whether or not Cassidy's lazy wrestler gimmick would work as a full-time wrestling gimmick or if it would be kept a special attraction, though his debut match caused many doubters to jump on the train.
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Wrestling PAC in his debut, Cassidy got the chance to display his lazy style in full force, with lackluster kicks lacking any real impact, rolling around the ring slowly to avoid dives, putting his hands in his pockets, and just generally being a bit annoying to The Bastard. What was also on full display was how fun the character could be, as Cassidy busted out random big impact moves to wow the crowd. It was a great first outing, and while it may have been planned to be a special attraction, the COVID-19 Pandemic changed things around entirely.
Despite The Lazy Gimmick, Orange Cassidy Is Not A Lazy Wrestler
As the Pandemic hit in 2020, wrestling companies were forced to work without crowds and with limited rosters. By the Summer, Orange Cassidy was available to work often, leading to the company betting hard on the lazy character as he was put into a marquee feud with Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle. This would be AEW's first attempt at turning Cassidy into a major singles star rather than just a weird comedy gimmick, and it worked to great effect. Cassidy and Jericho had great chemistry from the jump, both in non-wrestling segments, and their matches, with their program culminating in the first and last Mimosa Mayhem Match, which saw Cassidy defeat Jericho.
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Since then, Cassidy has put the work in to fine-tune his style even more, as he has wrestled a number of big-time matches within AEW over the past few years, with bouts against NJPW legend, Katsuyori Shibata, Matt Hardy, PAC, and Kip Sabian as some of his big matches. While the gimmick of him not caring remains, he has added a new layer to his character where he will become fired up and enraged if pushed to his limits, something on display during a feud with Adam Cole in early 2022.
In 2022, Orange Cassidy Had A Match Of The Year Contender
2022 was a major turning point for Orange Cassidy, as while he had been rising up the ranks in AEW, it would be the first year where he was consistently seen as not only one of the top stars, but as a genuine threat. In the early portion of the year, Cassidy was embroiled in a major feud with Adam Cole before heading to AEW Revolution to take part in the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match. Things reached a new level for the lovable lazy superstar following Double or Nothing, as he challenged NJPW's Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship at Forbidden Door.
The match between the two would be regarded as one of the best matches of the year in any company and put a major spotlight on just how great of a wrestler Cassidy is. In September 2022, Cassidy won his first championship in AEW, defeating longtime rival PAC to become AEW All-Atlantic Champion, going on a historic reign with the belt.
